Apple Inc. $AAPL is KBC Group NV’s 2nd Largest Position

KBC Group NV boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 29.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,131,650 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,086,953 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 5.8% of KBC Group NV’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,317,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 1st quarter worth approximately $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Apple by 890.7% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $11,413,990,000 after buying an additional 37,746,784 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after buying an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after buying an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Trading Up 2.0%

AAPL opened at $309.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average of $309.42 and a 200-day moving average of $282.24. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $202.16 and a 52 week high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: India proposed extending tax exemptions for equipment suppliers to contract manufacturers through 2041. The policy could support Apple’s effort to expand iPhone production in India and reduce reliance on China. India proposes extending tax breaks for contract manufacturing in a boost for Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and bullish investors argue that Apple’s capital-light AI strategy could eventually pay off through its enormous installed base, device upgrades and Services ecosystem, without the infrastructure spending burden faced by hyperscalers. Apple’s AI Strategy Looks Different—Will It Pay Off?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s acquisition of PlasmaSolve could improve manufacturing simulations, device coatings and production yields, potentially supporting thinner and stronger future hardware. AAPL Stock Alert: What to Know as Apple Acquires PlasmaSolve
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple asked a U.S. court to block OpenAI and two former employees from using alleged trade secrets. OpenAI has responded by calling the case careless and publishing private communications; the dispute could affect OpenAI’s hardware plans but remains legally unresolved. Apple seeks preliminary injunction against OpenAI in trade secrets case
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is also challenging a U.K. demand for access to encrypted user data. A favorable outcome could protect its privacy positioning, while prolonged regulatory litigation creates uncertainty. Apple launches fresh legal challenge against UK encrypted data access demand
• Negative Sentiment: The strongest pressure remains financial: Apple exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, but its outlook was viewed as disappointing. Higher memory and component costs, supply constraints, a Services revenue miss and delayed Apple Intelligence features have undermined confidence in near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: China Renaissance, DZ Bank and Phillip Securities downgraded AAPL, citing persistent memory inflation, supply risks and uncertainty over Apple Intelligence returns. With the stock trading around 35 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.6, investors are demanding substantial growth to justify the valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: The CEO transition adds execution risk. While some coverage views Cook’s departure as a well-prepared succession, investors will watch whether John Ternus can accelerate AI development and sustain Apple’s growth momentum.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.44.

About Apple

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.